Check out the champions of this year's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. (Photo: X/ espn)
The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is a popular hot dog eating competition held every year on the Fourth of July, featuring some of the world's top eating champions competing to win the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt and an incredible cash prize of $20,000. The Fourth of July tradition dates back to 1916. This year, thousands of spectators attended the annual competition held in Coney Island, New York. This year's event crowned a new men's champion after eight years and also witnessed a new women's record.
Patrick Bertoletti, 26, won the men's title by eating 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Hailing from Chicago, the winner said, "I'm in the greatest country in the world, the greatest eating contest in the world and it's perfect, perfection," reported CBS News. Bertoletti was followed by Geoffrey Esper of Oxford, Massachusetts who ate 53 hot dogs and buns. Nick Wehry of Tampa, Florida came in third by eating 52 hot dogs and buns.
Last year's winner, Joey Chestnut, 40, had won the competition 16 times, with his highest record being 76 hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes in 2021. However, this year Joey was not allowed to participate because of his partnership with a rival company.
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In the women's category, Miki Sudo, 38, ate 51 hot dogs and buns - the highest ever hot dogs eaten to date in the women's eating competition. Sudo has won every year since 2014 except 2021 - when she did not participate due to pregnancy.
"I think what this means for the women's contest is that, first of all, our personal bests are just gonna keep going up, the record's gonna keep increasing. After 10 years, I still have more to give, and you're not done with me just yet," CBS News quoted her saying. Sudo was followed by Mayoi Ebihara of Japan, who ate 37 hot dogs and buns. Michelle Lesco came in third with 23 hot dogs and buns.
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As per tradition on the US Independence Day, Nathan's Famous is donating 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York.